Electric time-switch.



No. 675,643. Patented June 4, I901. I

V 0, SPRINGER. ELECTRIC .TIHE SWITCH.

(Applieltion filed Oct. 16, 1900.) v (No Model.) 2 Sheata$hoot I.

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UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR SPRINGER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC TlME-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,643, dated June 4, 1901.

Application filed October 16, 1900. Serial No. 33,304. (No model.) I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR SPRINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 92 Gentralstreet, in the city of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate, in brief, in the first part to the construction of the switch proper, adapting it to beeffectively operated by clock mechanism to close and open the electric circuit, upon which are lamps for illuminating purposes, by areciprocation perfectlyand instantly forming and breaking the contact, and inthe second part to mechanism combined with the switch and clockwork, adapting the switch'to be operated to both turn on and extinguish the lights at predetermined times; and the invention consists in the combination and arrangement, as hereinafter described, and more particularly set forth in the claims. I

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whicha Figure I is a front elevation of my device. Fig. II is a side elevation of the same, with the parts in theposition shown in Fig. I'; and Fig. III is a front elevation with the movable parts shown in a diiferent position from in Fig. I.

Referring to the drawings, A is a base adapted to be secured to any vertical wall at a height from the floor making it easily accessible and for the purposes of my invention is conveniently formed of wood, as indicated in Fig. III. Upon each side of the base A is secured an insulating-base B B, placed upon the edges of the base, as shown in Figs. I and III, to leave a space between them on the face of the base. These bases B B, supporting the duplicate contact-pieces of a re-. turn-current switch, are formed of a non-conducting material, preferably slate, and are securely bolted, as shown, to the base A. Upon the faces of the bases 13 B are firmly secured blocks 0 G of conducting material. These blocks are provided on their outside ends with sockets c c to receive the ends of the conductor-wires D D and are provided with binding-screws d d for securing said ends.

Each block 0 O is provided with two posts spaces between the two posts E E on one side are alined vertically, the posts E E being arranged on both sides in sets, so that parallel contact-bars F" have room'between them, as shown in Figs. I and III. These posts E E are preferably round in cross-section, as shown.

Between the posts E E and supported in guides b e b e from the bases B B, so as to slide freely in said guides, are the contactbars F F of a diameter less than the distance between the two posts E E on a block, so that at one point in their reciprocation, held by their guides, they would be out of electrical connection with the posts EE' on account of theintervening space. for that part of their length extending between the posts E E are preferably square in cross-section, so .as to be held by their guides 12 b from any rotation in reciprocating as well as to seat fiat springs G G, extending their entire width and riveted to their flat sides, as-

These springs are arranged shown in Fig. II. on opposite sides of bars F F at points opposite each other to form,inefiechspring wedges above the posts E E, a wedge for each pair of posts, and the wedges and posts E E are so relatively spaced or arranged thatthe two bars F F, sliding in unison, will have all of the posts E E either in contact with the wedges or all of them out of said contact.

The bars F F, held by their guides b b and e e to slide vertically,are framed together at their tops by a cross-head H, formed of nonconducting material or insulated, as shown in the drawings, by non-conducting Washers h h, so that saidbarsF F willslidein unison. The upper guides, embracing the bars F F where they are squared and so preventing any rotation of said bars F F, permit the lower ends of the bars F F to be formed into The contact-bars F F i round stems received through corresponding IOO 6o up against base A, as more particularly shown The framed bars F F, dropped from a distance above the posts E E, will have all of the wedges formed by the springs GG, leaving their sides at an acute angle wedged in between the posts E E, so as to form a perfect electrical contact, and it will be seen that the tendency of the springs G G, when the inertia of the framed bars was overcome by any force lifting them, would be to accelcrate their upward movement. The object of. springs g g (shown to reinforce the action tioned, accelerates their departure when finally unseated. The duplicated parts thus described are framed by the cross-head H, which. is ofiset back to extend through a channel o, cuttransversel y in the back or base A, having a width sufficient to'permit the crosshead to reciprocate vertically with its bars F F and across a well or depression on, also sunk in the base A. Secured vertically and at right angles to cross-head H within the well m is v a stern extending upwardin a countersink in the; base, where it is provided with a head forming one section of a catch y, and downward, where it is provided with a cam block or egtension 8, adapted to be acted on by a carnextension from clock mechanism. The object of the. offset i c ossead is to r g I extending into the scooped-out base.

it n he same plane with'th cams om clocks The Qthe seem. of a ch 2/ i formed y a head dependent upon a spring extending down.- ward in a well 25, an extension from the one isc h t, s how he the s m on he cresshead is pushed up a certain distance its head will be engaged by the other section of the catch upon the free end of the dependent spring and normally borne in the path of the lower section. The dependent springw is in the plane of a cam on a clock and so arranged ela iv ly er to s to be p hed, y Said cam to release the cross-head and fly back 7 itself when released by the cam to resume its position in the path of the cross-head section. Hinged to the lower edge of base A is a frame I, carrying two clocks N 0, arranged one above the other to extend through the frame I, which may be of plankbored out to receive them, and the frame Iis arrangedto swing in'Fig; I, or down away from, as seen in Fig. III; Where it is supposed to be swung down at right angles to the base. The frame I, arranged between the bars F F, has upon the clocks N O cams n 0 therefrom, which are wound up and set to go ofi in the well-known way in whichthe alarm mechanism is operated, and when so wound up and the clocks brought into the position shown in Fig. I the cams n 0 come into the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. III, in which figure it will be seen the circuit is broken, and at any predetermined time the upper clock 0 is set to go off its cam 0 will release catch y and the framed contact-bars will fall to convey the current to the lamps. The clock N being set to gooff at a later time will, by means of its cam n, raise the contact-bar frame until the oatch'yis operative to hold the current broken and the lights extinguished.

With this device it is thus possible to cause a storeor large building to be lighted and the g s a ar p out with ut the attend ance of any person, and by the construction of the switch as shown the action'of the cams instantly ak r eses the i cuit, .so that there is no spark atthe time of breaking or closing the circuit.

Now, havingldescribed my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination in an electric timeswitch of a base adapt-ed to besecured to a vertical wall, duplicate circuit-controllers arranged parallel to each other and at in- .ter p t n comp is ng eaehan in ulating-base,condnoting-blocks mounted at an ine val apart on sai base nd provided with n ing-sc ews d sockets dapting hem.

to secure the ends of conducting-wires,0Qn

ducting-posts seated on said blocks, apair to each block d move from ach other, 0.ntect-bars 1 pp te an guided t r cip ocate between said posts and removed from contacttherewith, and two-sets of flat springs secured opposite each other to the contactbars to extend upward at an acute angleand th free d n a apted. t hec mpressed between the two sets of posts upon the downwar m ve n f t cQ tae -ba -and an insulated cross-head uniting the tops oi the c0ntact-bars, all arranged to open or close the circuit from the conducting-wires,as set forth.

2. In an electric time-switch, the combina tion of a base, duplicate circuit-controllers secured thereon and comprising each an insulated base, a pair of -conducting-blecks mounted thereon provided with means for a p the ends of he con ctor-wires, a p o posts 011 ea l ck se apart, a @0 talet-ber nged in. g de to iprocate bee n the p t i h t con a t e ewith,

flat metal springs secured at ends opposite each other to the sides of the contact-bars to extend outward therefrom and form elastic wedges adapted to simultaneously enter and bind between the two sets of posts, an insulated cross-head framing the duplicate con- 1tOact-bars-.and means for reciprocating said ars.

In e e me-e it h ,-e ase er back adapted to be fixed vertically, duplicate circuit-controllers mounted upon its face and at an interval apart and comprising duplicate contact-bars framed to reciprocate'in unison and in one direction by gravity, a frame hinged to the back to swing outward, two

clock mechanisms fixed in the frame to extend therethrough and provided on the rear of the case with time-operated cams, a crosshead to the contact-bars, a cross-bar fixed to the cross-head provided upon its lower extremity with a cam-block and upon its upper with one section of a catch, a corresponding catch-section in the upward path of said crossbar and provided with a spring-shank operating to release or permit the catch to engage,

r all arranged to bring the catch and cam-block in the paths of the clock-cams when the clockframe is swung against the base to cause the reciprocation of the contact-bars to take place at predetermined times.

4.- In a time-operated electric switcha back seating circuit-controllers upon its face, a frame hinged to the back between said controllers to swing against or away from the back, two time-clocks fixed on said frame and provided with rearward-extending earns, a cross-head framing the contact-bars, and mechanism connected with said cross-head and in the path of the cams adapting the cross-head with its contact-bars to be reciprocated by the action of the clock-cams, as v and for the purpose set forth.

0. SPRINGER. W'itnesses:

R. F. HYDE, H. S. OALLuMNs. 

